I never knew how spoiled I was in Berkeley until I came to Pittsburgh without a car and without leeching from parents. And not to mention how not health-conscious or environmentally-conscious this area is. My parents drove me. Or I sometimes drove myself to the supermarket. And I sometimes even drove other people to the supermarket.

In Berkeley, I had a choice of four supermarkets within a mile of the campus. The Berkeley Bowl, Andronico\’s, TWO Safeways, and Whole Foods. And a Farmer\’s market. And an Oakland Chinatown just a 20 minute BART ride away. Because I lived so close to home, I also had access to all the other stores – Food 4 Less, Costco…and my mother\’s kitchen. My parents brought me prepared meals in little boxes every week, since they lived only 15 minutes away (by car). When my family went to Oakland for dimsum and the like, I would often bring back leftovers. Money out of my own pocket? Nothing.

In Pittsburgh, I have only a choice of only one supermarket within a mile. Giant Eagle. Which is located every other mile. And the only competitor? Whole Foods, which is more than a mile away. There\’s some store similar to Foods 4 Less called Shop \’N Save which is a 30 minute bus ride plus 90 minute train ride. I sometimes skip meals. Or sometimes I plan my meals for the day around free food events on campus. If Costco was nearby, I would go every day for lunch. I just walked from Giant Eagle. About 3 blocks away. Too close to take the bus, but too far to carry so much. But I stupidly decided to buy a lot of stuff (10 for $10 sale!!!). And spent more than 30 minutes struggling with five heavy bags (actually it was originally 8, but I stuffed some into other bags). My hands hurt now.